Tata

Today my grandma Tata is 99 years alive.....................................!!

Tata

When I was a super little cec I called her Tata, because I couldn't quite mouth "abuelita" which is of course "grandma" in spanish.  That became her name, even for my younger cousins.  As with all my family, Tata is from Colombia and she has lived in either Cartagena or Bogota all her life.  She was present for my birth in Mountain View, California in 1974 (the day after Tata's Bday in fact!) and stayed for a while then.... and when my parents split a couple years later she came to back to stay with me and my mom when I was 2 to 3 three years old.  My mom was working a lot and so it was me and Tata, discovering the world together; she was unfamiliar with the U.S. and I was unfamiliar with any place and so it was new and wild to us both.  Tata didn't speak engligh and I didn't speak spanish but we formed our own unspoken communication.  We gained an understanding and a intutive closeness.  A couple years later, when I was 5, I was sent to Cartagena for the summer, all on my own, to both sides of my family.  They were my family but I hardly knew a few of them, and most none at all.  But Tata was my anchor.  Not only did we have an established connection, she was the only one who was truly present with me, spoke and listened to me like a person, had a special sensibility to my needs, and understood that I was already quite independent by this age and so didn't treat me like baby.  I hadn't grown up with any Colombian culture, food, or speaking spanish so it was challenging for me... and my family who expected me to be the Colombian of my blood, but I was so very much "gringa."  I did learn spanish in those 3 months and I returned to Cartagena every summer of my youth.  Every time Tata was my bedrock.  Summers away from my parents were tough, but it was great to get to know my family and this city... and I thank god for every day with my Tata... and how amazing is it that at 36 years old (which I turn tomorrow) that I get to continue to enjoy her company!  I didn't get to grow up with her close by, but the days we get together continue to add up and I am so grateful.  Thanks to Tata who has taken such good care of herself, and thanks to her radiant health.  At 99 she has no imbalances in mind or body, not even arthritis.  Only her walking and hearing has dimmed somewhat, but she actually remains incredibly strong and agile.  Her mind and awareness are so sharp, so keen, it's mind blowing.  And she just told me that the glasses she wears don't actually help much her to see or read, she just like to wear them because she thinks they help her look nice... so her eyesight rocks too!  Tata loves to stay up late, most nights till past midnight.  Just last night as I was fading at our late night dinner table out on the town, Tata was all riled up, totally outlasting me!  Well she has outlasted most, born in 1911 ...it's fascinating to think about how the world has transformed in unimaginable ways all around her during these 99 years.

"fortune"       click to view

Last night we took a "paseo" around "El Centro" the old colonial city center of Cartagena and visited all the houses she grew up in 'till she was 30 years old.  Story after story after story flowed from her as we walked (her in a sleek transport chair we just got for her).  It was awesome.  It was just Tata and my mom and I, the 3 of us generations of daughters.  I am so grateful to both these women for the risks they took and dreams they worked so hard to realize, making it possible for me to live a life of choice and creative freedom.  Being with them both this week, listening to my abuelita's stories, receiving her wisdom, receiving my own great blessings, and being so ever grateful for my life... this is my great fortune.


happy new year Tata!  Te quiero con todo mi alma. 
∞ ceci
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